Navis, part of Cargotec and provider of operational technologies and services that unlock greater performance and efficiency for the world’s leading terminal operators, has released results of its newest TechValidate customer survey on the state of artificial intelligence as it relates to automated operations.
According to the survey, 88% of respondents indicated that automated decision making will be ‘very, if not extremely important’ for the future of innovation at terminals.
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As well as that, 83% plan to increase their AI investments over the next one-to-three years, which indicates growing confidence in the use of innovative technologies to improve terminal efficiencies and gain competitive advantages.
Approximately 60 Navis customers participated in the survey, representing a cross-section of container terminals around the world suing various degrees of automation and AI to improve operations.
The survey asked customers what they believe to be the most important benefits of automated decision-making. Improved consistency of operations and equipment utilization both topped the list with 86%.
They were followed by ‘enabling teams to work smarter and faster’ with 60% and ‘improved safety’ 47%, ‘better management of billable events’ with 33% and ‘improved environmental compliance’ with 12%.
Furthermore, 39% of respondents noted that automated decision-making could increase terminal productivity by as much as five-to-six moves per hour.
On top of that, 2% believed productivity gains could be twice that rate at 10 moves per hour.
In a statement, Navis said the findings indicate that container terminals, regardless of AI maturity, are increasingly aware of the possibilities of automated decision-making.
Andy Barrons, Chief Strategy Officer, Navis, had this to say: “Just a few short years ago only a handful of our customers were even open to the idea of automation or other disruptive technologies designed to make the container terminal smarter, safer and more sustainable.
“The survey demonstrates just how far the industry has come – and will continue to go – in harnessing technology in the right ways to automate decision making within terminals.
“We firmly believe that automation and the use of AI is our future, and will continue to support our current and future customers as they embark down this critical path.”
